Utilization of History Club to Improve Historical Consciousness in Senior High School

Abstract

Along with the progress and development of digital technology, historical consciousness in the public sphere has begun to increase. The rapid flow of information obtained from social media today has also attracted public attention to history, and people have begun to dig back into their identities. Historical consciousness can be interpreted as a form of sensitivity and appreciation of the past which can be a reflection on how humans should determine their attitude toward the present as well as the future. The consciousness of history is the mental process through which the contemporary human being orient through time, in light of historical experiences and knowledge, and in anticipation of a specific future development. Students are also part of the community, one of the efforts to increase formal historical consciousness is to involve students by forming a community that has an interest in and concern for history. Historical consciousness is not formed naturally but needs to be facilitated to develop according to the interests, and spirit of the times of students who are part of a society or community. This community makes it possible to interpret history with a different approach, namely by visiting places of historical value so that they are closer to historical sources. The method used in this research is a case study by gathering information from observations, interviews, and documentation. Information is obtained from teachers, students, and components in the history of this club. The results of the research show that there is an increase in historical consciousness. They can realize that they are an inseparable part of the past, besides that, they also show attitudes and reflections that as the younger generation we should preserve the historical heritage around them which are very valuable so that they become historical actors in their time.

Keywords: historical consciousness, history club, public history.